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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28802934">Addicted</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/conflictedsam/pseuds/conflictedsam'>conflictedsam</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Firefighters, Angst, DNF, EMS, Firefighter AU, Firefighters, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Kissing, M/M, Slow Burn, ao3 is kinda confusing to me, dreamnotfound, firefighter dream, ill probably screw something up, its not that much angst, no beta we die like men, paramedic george, paramedics, pls be nice, this is my first fanfiction</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 09:47:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,484</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28802934</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/conflictedsam/pseuds/conflictedsam</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Dream is a firefighter and George is a paramedic. Fighting fires, helping people, and most importantly, falling in love.<br/>|<br/>|<br/>|</p><p> </p><p>“Be careful, okay?”</p><p>He walked away, letting Niki and Eret follow him, but not before letting his hand trail over Dream’s shoulder. A touch that had been meant for comfort and concern left a blazing trail of heat that found its home in Dream’s cheeks. Dream’s heart stuttered in his chest as he turned his head to watch George walk away, longing dripping from his eyes, apparent to everyone but himself.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>61</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Dream stood next to Sapnap, with his arms crossed and posture tall. He was deep in conversation as firefighters swarmed around him, catching the hydrant and connecting it to the truck with the long beige hose. George's stomach fluttered with excitement as he drew closer to the fire captain, he wanted to tell himself that it was the adrenaline rush from the fire, but then George would be a liar. If George was addicted to adrenaline, Dream would be considered the biggest hit. Nothing else could send George over edge like Dream’s ridiculous laugh and absurdly bright smile.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As EMS hastily arrived on scene and Niki threw the van into park, George was taken aback by the raging fire. He hopped out from the passenger seat and stared into the mesmerizing ruin. The house breathed in oxygen, and spat out waves of heat alongside plumes of black smoke, fanning the flames of the orange inferno that consumed the Orlando home. The intense blaze roared through the precarious home, leaving no part of it untouched and no hope of saving the structure. George had been stationed with the fire department for well over a year, but he couldn’t remember the last time he had seen a fire so fierce that heat nearly blew him away. The simmering orange sparks danced through the air, their embers almost too pretty for the destruction they reigned. Geroge stood transfixed for a moment, mesmerized by the intensity of the unfolding scene before him. He watched mesmerized as the chaos, and then suddenly Niki was at his side speaking to him urgently.</p><p>    “George, c’mon, what are you doing?” she asked as she hastily slung her emergency medical bag over her shoulder, coming around the other side of the van. Her bright pink hair fluttered with the wind, and she repositioned her glasses on her nose as she waited impatiently for an answer.<br/>
“Oh nothing, m-my bad” George stuttered as he snapped out of his haze. He had no clue why he was so dazed, it’s not like he’s never seen a fire before. George walked around to the back of the ambulance and opened the double doors, to find Eret snapping gloves onto his hands. He glanced over as the unfiltered light entered and handed George his own medical gloves to put on. George climbed into the back of the van and accepted them with a quick thanks as he reached for his own emergency bag. He grabbed the soft material of the backpack and threw it over his back, slipping his arms through the familiar straps.</p><p>    “Dispatch, this is van three responding to the house fire in Ventura Residential, over” Eret confirmed into his radio. Getting up to move back into the open air, George followed as he fit his gloves onto his fingers, ready to approach the emergency.<br/>
“Van three, please confirm that you are on scene.” responded the familiar monotone voice that usually answered their calls. The ever typical dialogue that they followed never changes, always addressing the people on the other side of the radio as dispatch.<br/>
“Yes we are on scene dispatch.” replied Eret with ease, having done this a million times over. Eret slammed the doors of the ambulance shut and George took the lead, making a beeline for the fire truck where he would be able to get a better understanding of what was going on. The familiar adrenaline poured over his senses, making his hands tremble and heart skip a beat. But Georeg longed for this, he loved this. He was addicted to running onto the action, helping others before himself.<br/>
“Wow, that’s gonna be a bitch to put out.” Eret commented, finally taking in the disaster that George had previously been so entranced by. Niki hummed in agreement and George said nothing, finally having spotted the person he was looking for.</p><p>    Dream stood next to Sapnap, with his arms crossed and posture tall. He was deep in conversation as firefighters swarmed around him, catching the hydrant and connecting it to the truck with the long beige hose. George's stomach fluttered with excitement as he drew closer to the fire captain, he wanted to tell himself that it was the adrenaline rush from the fire, but then George would be a liar. If George was addicted to adrenaline, Dream would be considered the biggest hit. Nothing else could send George over edge like Dream’s ridiculous laugh and absurdly bright smile.</p><p>George had known Dream for all the time they had been working at the fire station, and had been one of his biggest supporters when he was made a fire captain. Along with Sapnap of course, they had spent long nights in the back of an ambulance, or just passing time on boring nights at the fire station. Countless hours of putting out fires, giving first aid, listening to the thrum of sirens, and building a close relationship on the foundation of trust had led George to keep a festering crush on Dream.</p><p>Eret closed the distance between him and George as he slung an arm around his shoulder and came close to whisper in George’s ear.<br/>
“Why don’t you just jump his bones right now, it’s not like there’s a fire or anything!” he joked suggestively, a grin erupting onto his face. George’s cheeks promptly began to turn red with blush as he shoved Eret off him.<br/>
“Shut the hell up!” he hissed with annoyance, elicatating a loud laugh from Eret and a small giggle from Niki.<br/>
“Now isn’t exactly the time!” George said with a disapproving tone, although he wasn’t truly angry with their antics. But as the leading paramedic of their team, it was up to him to make sure they weren’t screwing around, especially at such an important time. After Eret’s bout of laughter had caught Dream’s attention, his head snapped over to where George was heading their way, gaze transfixed upon the smaller man. George quickened his pace, ignoring how Eret would taunt him later, and met Dream by the fire truck. </p><p>Dream took a few paces away from Sapnap to meet George, inadvertently crowding the paramedic’s space. The taller man towered over George, his kind green eyes drinking up George’s appearance, briefly looking over the light blue button-up uniform and black EMS pants. He momentarily met George’s dark brown eyes, and had to remind himself that this was no place to be fixating on his best friend. Although Dream had most of his bulky gear on at the moment, his helmet remained off, giving George the advantage of seeing the blonde waves crowd his face, and the light freckles dusting his nose. Staring at Dream was intoxicating, and George elatedly felt he would become lost in thought if he stared up at him for too long, so he reluctantly took a step back and cleared his throat as he looked away. At the verbal que, Dream snapped out of his daze and began to fill George in on the situation.</p><p>“So, the fire has pretty much spread through every point of the house, but luckily everyone got out in time.” he breathed out, glancing in the direction of said fire. Sapnap walked over to where the small group of emergency personnel was standing and added on to the end of Dream’s statement.</p><p>“Well not everyone, the cat didn’t make it out.” he drawled, looking at Dream with raised eyebrows, to which Dream glared and swatted at him for.</p><p>A pang of sadness and empathy went through George’s heart, imagining the suffering the poor animal was going through. Although this was quite common in the place of a house fire, it did nothing to ease the ache in George’s chest. He whined, catching Dream and Sapnap’s attention.</p><p>“Isn’t there anything you can do to get the poor thing?” he questioned, tapping his foot with anxiety. The endearing gesture didn’t go unnoticed by Dream. </p><p>He gave Geroge a sympathetic look, one that made George’s heart skip a beat, before saying, “I can’t ask anyone to risk their lives for a cat.”</p><p>George huffed and raked a hand through his hair. He knew what Dream was saying but at the same time it was such an upsetting thing for him to swallow. If it had been up to him, George would’ve at least attempted to look for the cat.</p><p>“Just send in Sapnap, the cat is more important.” he leered, a small smile quirking at his lips, trying to lighten the mood a little. Sapnap without fail let out an indignant gasp, slapping his hand to his chest and acting wounded by George’s statement. Dream rolled his eyes but let a small smile grace his feature before continuing on with what he had been saying.</p><p> “There’s not a lot we can do to save the building though at this point though so we’re on damage control. We’re just gonna make sure it doesn’t spread to other houses and try and put the fire out as soon as possible.” Dream finished.</p><p>George hummed an okay and asked where he could find the people that lived in the house. Dream quickly directed George over to the group of 4 standing by the street. Glancing back to the raging fire before he left, George looked between Dream and Sapnap.</p><p>“Be careful, okay?”</p><p>He walked away, letting Niki and Eret follow him, but not before letting his hand trail over Dream’s shoulder. A touch that had been meant for comfort and concern left a blazing trail of heat that found its home in Dream’s cheeks. Dream’s heart stuttered in his chest as he turned his head to watch George walk away, longing dripping from his eyes, apparent to everyone but himself. Sapnap snickering and Dream whipped his head back over, ready to hit Sapnap for whatever snide comment he had prepared. He just raised his hands in defense, eyes full of taunt and knowing.</p><p>With a huff Dream walked back towards the truck to direct his crew into further action. In the short amount of time they had been there, the squadron he directed had already snapped into action. They didn’t need his direction to get the basics started, but now was the time to take further action. </p><p>Dream reached beneath his beige turnout jacket and pulled out the whistle that hung around his neck. He put the cool metal to his mouth and blew, catching the attention of 7 other people under his command. Sapnap was his lieutenant, his second in command who could take over in a moment's notice if Dream became preoccupied, which was something that didn’t go unappreciated. Bad was his driver and engineer, so he was also a step above every other fire fighter here because he knew the mechanics of the truck like the back of his hand, truely an essential member of the team.</p><p>The rest of his team were regular fire fighters with the basic medic training required. Each of them were the best, and it helped Dream to sleep at night knowing that he could trust everyone here with his life. Karl, Quackity, Skeppy, and Ranboo were great, but there was something about Techno that made him the powerhouse of this team. Agile but strong, smart and resilient, he was the one who could go into a house and be out in less than 5 minutes if they needed to get someone out of there. And Dream secretly knew that one day, Techno would be the fire chief if he pursued it.</p><p>“Alright guys,” he clapped his hand together, “we’re taking a defensive approach since all points of the house have been lost.” He let his information sink in for a moment before continuing.</p><p>“Let’s make sure the fire doesn’t reach any other house on the street. As always, follow the buddy system.” He paused to make sure everyone understood before continuing, waiting until he saw a nod of understanding from each member.</p><p>“Skeppy and Bad, I want you working water on the truck. Karl, Quackity, Ranboo and Techno, I want you on hoses.” The members of Dream’s team each gave an affirmation before snapping into action, each movement practiced and easy.</p><p>“And remember, the wind is blowing west! So make sure to start on the west wing!” called Dream, making sure there would be no blunders under his watchful eye today.</p><p>After seeing everyone rush into their respective duties, he let out a pent up sigh. There would always be anxiety about this job, the unavoidable adrenaline rush, the worry that maybe one day one of them wouldn’t make it back to the station. Dream startled as he felt a strong hand clap on his shoulder, looking up to see Sapnap giving him a reassuring smile.</p><p>“Come on, let’s grab a hose.” he appealed. Sapnap understood what was going through his head, and was quick to cut off the train of thought. Dream smiled briefly before giving a nod before setting off to the storage that built into the side of the truck, letting his muscle memory guide him into the familiar set of actions.</p><p>***</p><p>George strided over to the family of four, Niki and Eret in close pursuit of his footsteps. There was what appeared to be a mother in pink pajama pants with a gray robe wrapped around her lithe frame. She was on the phone urgently speaking to someone about the house fire, a thick british accent that reminded George of his home country. He vaguely heard her asking about where they were supposed to go or something along the lines of that. What he assumed was the father sat on the sidewalk, watching the cars pass by on the street while he had his two children tucked under his arms on each side. George supposed it was to keep them from watching their home burn to the ground. Although it probably didn’t matter because the two boys were excitedly arguing with each other about some game, in complete ignorance of the fire roaring only a few hundred feet away.</p><p>The young paramedic approached the situation with delicacy, careful to not upset anyone. “Hello, my name is George, I’m a paramedic with the Orlando Fire Department, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?” he made sure to keep a small sympathetic smile on his face, letting the family see that he felt bad for them, and that he wanted to help.</p><p>The woman hesitated, quickly letting the person on the phone know that she had to go. “Umm, yes that’s fine, none of us were hurt though.” she replied hesitantly. Another gust of wind picked up, shifting her brown hair in the messy bun. She looked tired, but not just from a lack of sleep, the kind of tired where it crawls into your soul and decides to make a home there. George really couldn’t blame her.</p><p>“Okay, but if you don’t mind, my team and I usually run a set of standard tests to make sure that everything is actually just right.” George carefully explained, cutting right to the point and  using hand gestures to do so. “So with your permission, would it be okay to do some checkups on you and your family?” he lets the last syllable hang in the air as a question, making sure he would do nothing to set the fragile woman off. She seemed to debate this in her head for a monet before replying to him.</p><p>“Yes, sure, that’s fine.” she shrugged, pointedly looking away. Tears brimmed in her eyes, and she took another shuddering breath, seemingly overwhelmed by the simple question. The stress was leaking out of her, infecting the thick air that surrounded them. The thick scent of burning only felt right for such a somber scene. Before George could say anything to comfort the forlorn woman, her husband was up and at her side with a second.</p><p>“Hey, hey, hey. It’s okay love, I’ve got you.” he whispered into her hair, pulling her close as he wrapped his arms around her. The stressed woman choked out a sob, letting herself be pulled into the hug, being consumed by the gentle love he offered up. The gesture was intimate and endearing, and George felt compelled to turn away, giving them a moment. He turned to Niki and Eret, who were standing around awkwardly, looking anywhere but at the couple in front of them. With a small sigh he started handing out directions.</p><p>“Why don’t you run a check up on the kids, we can check their blood pressure later at the van.” he said quietly, gesturing to the blond and brown hair boys sitting beside them. Both of his companions nodded and crouched before the kids to start asking them a few questions, smiles plastered on their face, kid-friendly words loaded into their vocabulary. </p><p>“Hi my name is Niki, and this is Eret!” she remarked, gesturing between herself and her partner as George watched with approval. “Can you tell me your names?”</p><p>The blond child, the seemingly louder of the two jumped up, startling Niki as she wobbled on the toes of her feet. “My name’s Tommy! This is my brother Tubbo!” he exclaimed loudly. Niki shifted back, allowing the child the space he needed as she watched him ,a little apprehensive of his wild movements. He began a wild bout of rambling as Niki and Eret glanced at each other, ill-equipped for the energetic little man. After watching the humorous exchange for a minute, George couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle. He whipped his head round to George as he started up again. </p><p>“Are you from the UK? I’ve never met another person here with the same accent as me!” he continued on, bouncing up and down, holding onto his brother's hand. Before George could reply Tubbo was also up and questioning him.</p><p>“Yeah, what part of the UK did you live in? We used to live in Manchester!” he added on, mirroring the actions of his brother, but not quite as intense. Amusement quirked George’s lips into a small smile, but it was almost sad how the children couldn’t see the depth of their situation. He decided to play along for the moment to appease their questions.</p><p>“I used to live in Brighton before I moved here.” he replied, crouching down to meet the children at eye level. Tommy's smile dropped right off his face, looking George dead in the eyes with the most serious expression a child could muster before saying “Where’s that?”.</p><p>George threw back his head and let out a loud laugh. The sudden action drew the attention of many people around them, but the dumbfounded expression was more than he could deal with. To make matters worse, Tubbo’s confused eyes only added onto the unfolding scene. Having been properly embarrassed, George quickly stifled his laugh before appealing to the child while to stay on task.</p><p>“I’ll tell you all about it if you’re good and listen to Niki and Eret for me, how bout’ that?” he promised to the two young children, who readily agreed. Satisfied that he had gotten all that sorted out, he turned to the husband who was still consoling his wife. The muscular man had blond hair that was slightly darker than his son’s, and it was chopped relatively short. His tanned skin contrasted greatly to the pale complexion of his wife’s, and George couldn’t help but to think they looked good together.</p><p>He carefully approached the couple before tapping the man on the shoulder. He hardly shifted but moved his eyes over to George, waiting for whatever question he would ask. “Would you mind coming back to the ambulance with me, we need to check a few things as soon as possible.” he murmured quietly, careful to not disturb the balance created between the two.</p><p>The man glanced back to his wife before quietly nodding, letting half of her go to persuade her in walking over to the van. Niki and Eret dragged the children along while George guided the couple back to where he could run some more thorough tests. After arriving at the white and red vehicle, the group spent some time asking the family about their medical histories, if they had inhaled any smoke, and several more questions that pertained to their health. Alongside this they checked all oral openings for smoke inhalation, although Tubbo needed some further prompting to open his mouth and stick his tongue out.</p><p>George had been in the middle of checking the husband's blood pressure, who he now knew to be Micheal, and his wife was Suzan. The systolic and diastolic had checked out to be perfectly fine, but his eyes were quickly drawn to where Eret was struggling to make Tubbo listen to him. Although amusing, it was rather pitiful to watch the lack of tack he had.</p><p>“If you say “ahh”, it would make me very happy!” Eret tried, desperately searching for a way to get the kid to comply with his request. But Tubbo was determined to resist. He kicked and squirmed, tears beginning to brim over his red eyes as he was sent over the edge of a temper tantrum. In the small space of the ambulance, his piercing voice made George cringe away, he was sure that the others felt the same too.</p><p>“NO, not without Coco!” he screamed, pushing Eret away from him. George looked over when Micheal sighed, a pained expression on his face. After looking between the two for a second, it finally dawned on George, ah yes, the cat. The cat that Sapnap said had not made it out of the fire. The cat that the screaming child wanted. The cat that they definitely did not have. He winced as he considered for a moment if there was any way Michael could tell Tubbo that their beloved Coco had tragically died in the fire without bringing about the worst tantrum of the century. He decided there was no way. </p><p>    “Tubbo, please be nice for the doctor? Daddy will let you see Coco after, okay?” the father lied. George disliked the deceit, but it wasn’t like he could tell the man how to parent. The paramedic then moved on, listening to the child as he removed the blood pressure cuff from Micheal. Tubbo dubiously listened to his father, but not without further complaint.</p><p>“But-but I want h-him now.” he sniffled, wiping the snot from his face.</p><p>“I know, I know.” Eret soothed, coaxing him into opening his mouth wide for him. When Tubbo finally decided to comply, Eret was caught off guard. He double checked, and then triple checked to make sure he wasn’t screwing anything up right now, but he was sure of what he was seeing. He called Niki over to look at what he was seeing, and George heard a small gasp leave her mouth too.</p><p>“What, what is it? What’s wrong?” Suzan questioned anxiously, rising to her feet so she could rush to her son’s side. George’s head snapped up. ‘Oh no’ he thought, knowing that it couldn’t be good if his friends made a fuss about it. He too headed over to the commotion, weaving his way through the tiny crowd they had made around Tubbo. Micheal followed in quick succession, and suddenly Tubbo was closing his mouth, anxiously looking at all the adults in the small space. Annoyance pricked at George and he had to remind himself not to snap at anyone.</p><p>“Can you all back up for a moment please? I need to take a look and I can do that with a crowd.” he joked weakly. Niki and Eret compiled after a second, handing George the small light needed for the inspection. The boy’s mother didn’t seem to appreciate it, but with a small warning from her husband, she too backed away. Feeling the stares of multiple people on the back of his head did little to help George as he refocused his attention back on Tubbo.</p><p>“Say ‘ahh” for me Tubbo.” George murmured, grabbing the boy by the chin to direct him. Although reluctantly, he obeyed, sticking out his tongue and opening his mouth. George could now see what everyone was so worked up about. Black soot speckled on the back of Tubbo’s throat, a clear sign of smoke inhalation. Although bad, it wasn’t deadly because they had caught it so early on. George sighed, clicking his light off. He turned to address the antsy parents who were anxiously awaiting his verdict on their son’s health.</p><p>“Well it seems like he inhaled some smoke, so we’re gonna get him started on oxygen and take him to the hospital, sound good?” he asked as he stood up, already making the preparation to get moving. There was the general commotion and question that came with an ER trip, but nothing George couldn’t leave Niki and Eret to handle. But then he heard those words, the words that no one ever wants to hear a parent ask. His stomach dropped to his feet.</p><p>“Where’s Tommy?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“Look, he couldn’t have gotten that far, we can all spread out and look for -” Dream was abruptly cut off by a horrified gasp from George, his eyes seemingly glued to something behind them in the distance. The shorter men's brows knit together and his jaw fell open, hand instinctively coming up to his mouth. He had found what he had been looking for, Tommy.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>*a backdraft is when in a fire an oxygen depleted environment gets a sudden surplus of oxygen, causing a huge explosion*</p>
<p>Also this chapter is dedicated to by best friend who is going through a rough time, I love you Sam!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Dream hears the yelling, he knows it can’t mean anything good. He had been working the south wing of the house with Sapnap, most of his team finishing up the west wing. Sweat dripped down the side of his face as the roar of the fire screamed out at Dream. The hellfire breathed, almost as if a living form, consuming all of Dream’s being. He couldn’t hear anything but the blaze, couldn’t see anything except the task at hand. But even when he increased the flow on the nozzle of his water hose, the vicious embers refused to surrender. Sapnap grunted at the kickback the powerful hose produced, digging his feat into the wet earth beneath and Dream quickly apologized for the lack of warning.</p>
<p>The second time he thinks he hears George’s voice slip through the wind, he hesitates. Dream’s instinct had been sharpened to a fine point over the years, like an axe being run over a grindstone over and over until there was no imperfection left. Something feels wrong, but this fire really needed to go down, and Dream didn’t think he could spare time for what he thought he had heard. But that’s when the gorgeous paramedic hurtled around the corner of the building, eyes wild and frantic before they settled on Dream.</p>
<p>George’s black hair was messy and ruffled by the breeze, and his chest was rising and falling with apparent exercise as he came to a stop. His cheeks were painted the most fervent shade of pink in contrast to his pale complexion, and his wet lips were parted as he sucked in a breath. The paramedic tore his gaze away from Dream, looking around wildly as the anxiety poured off his body in waves. </p>
<p>Dream felt the air leave his lungs as he stood there transfixed, almost letting the hose leave his hands. George looked beautiful. He was absolutely ethereal, even when he was upset.</p>
<p>    “Dream!” came Sapnap’s reproachful voice. Dream snapped out of his moment to glance back at his friend and promptly noticed that Sapnap was struggling to control the brute force of water without Dream handling the nozzle. The water was beginning to weave around, widely spaying everything around them and Dream wanted to hit himself for being such an idiot. There was an absurd amount of danger involved with leaving a hoze of this caliber to its own devices and someone could’ve gotten hurt if Sapnap had lost control. </p>
<p>    He lept into action, grabbing the nozzle with his strong tanned hands and wrestled the beast under control. He grappled with the cool metal lever, promptly swinging it shut, letting a sigh of relief leave his lips for a brief moment, shoulders slumping. Dream guiltily tuned on his heels to face Sapnap, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. The action looked unbefitting of a fire captain.</p>
<p>    “Sorry.” Dream grumbled out, casting his eyes to the ground as he felt the embarrassment rising to his cheeks.</p>
<p>    “You’re an idiot.” Sapnap glared him down. “Your hard-on almost killed us!” he exclaimed as he gestured around to the water they had conveniently not sprayed on the fire.</p>
<p>    Dream wanted to tell him to shut up, but he supposed he deserved the shame. He swallowed his pride and just hoped that George hadn’t heard that.</p>
<p>    “We can’t find Tommy!” came the sudden and desperate voice of George. Dream looked away from Sapnap’s fury, concern immediately bubbling up in his throat for the paramedic. George antsily shifted from heel to heel as he fidgeted with his hands. He looked up at Dream and then to Sapnap, seemingly searching for an answer to his dilemma.</p>
<p>    “Who's Tommy?” asked Sapnap, beating Dream to the punch. Sapnap carded a hand through his black bangs, letting his head hang back as he sighed into the air, frustration rolling off him. George took a moment to explain that Tommy was the son of the couple who owned the house, and that they had lost track of him at the ambulance a few minutes ago.</p>
<p>    “How exactly did you lose track of a child, who was in a small little van with you?” questioned Sapnap, glaring at George as he scrunched his nose. A condescending tone was creeping into his tone as he quickly grew tired of dealing with his two best friend’s bullshit. George narrowed his eyes, not willing to accept the blame, nor deal with Sapnap’s attitude. He ripped his hands apart and bit the inside of his cheek, sticking a finger into Sapnaps chest, making sure to piece the thick turnout coat.</p>
<p>    “I had bigger problems to deal with, asshole.” he spat, stress making him more short-tempered than usual. George knew that the blame didn’t rest on him, but deep down, he felt responsible. He was the head paramedic, and he was supposed to make sure that everything went according to plan. If Tommy were to get hurt, he might never forgive himself.</p>
<p>    George looked away, guilt beginning to claw its way out of the depth of his stomach. He took a step back, looking like he wanted to cry a little. Dream decided that now would be a good time to step between the two and smooth some things over.</p>
<p>    “Look, he couldn’t have gotten that far, we can all spread out and look for -” Dream was abruptly cut off by a horrified gasp from George, his eyes seemingly glued to something behind them in the distance. The shorter men's brows knit together and his jaw fell open, hand instinctively coming up to his mouth. He had found what he had been looking for, Tommy.</p>
<p>    The skinny blond child was approaching the back door of his family home. Tommy lifted an arm up to touch the handle, but let it fall back to his side, nervously debating if he really wanted to go inside of the house. Most of the fire on the back of the house had been extinguished, giving it the false appearance of safety. The treacherous black charcoal looked dangerously unlit, but inside lied the roaring fire that would come back to life the moment Tommy opened that door. George knew what a backdraft was, and knew how dangerous it could be. Tommy didn’t.</p>
<p>    The moment he opened that door, he was as good as dead.</p>
<p>    “TOMMY NO!” George screamed, shoving his way through Dream and Spanap, flying into action as he started towards the blissfully ignorant child. Dream startled and turned to look after George, realization dawning on him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>    Tommy’s head snapped up, a panic creeping into his body as the paramedic came closer to him with each passing second. The two firemen behind him stood paralyzed for a brief second, before also setting after George. He stumbled backwards for a moment, taken aback by the sight of three grown men charging at him full speed. And suddenly the whole situation was a lot more scary than it was supposed to have been, he had just wanted to look for his brother's cat, that's all. Tommy stood dumbstruck, his mind whirling, flight or fight response kicking into overdrive. In the back of the child’s mind, he knew George didn’t want to hurt him, but Tommy was a child and he didn’t know any better.</p>
<p>    George was closing in, just feet away from finally reaching Tommy. He could taste desperation on his tongue, limbs aching as he pushed himself harder than he ever had before, by far outrunning his friends behind him. Almost there, he was almost there.</p>
<p>    Tommy gave a tiny shriek before latching on the hot door handle, flinging it open to take refuge in his home. It was quiet for a moment, the house breathing in the oxygen it had been deprived of for so long now. And then there was fire.</p>
<p>    George desperately reached out and tackled the blonde with all the force in his body. He curled around the kid, careful to protect him with his own body as much as he could, no regard for himself. The door to the back of the house was ripped off its hinges and a huge plume of fire shot out, orange and vicious. The inferno came alive again, eating as much as it could take with no regard to who or what it consumed.</p>
<p>George cried out as the explosion violently flung him to the ground, instant pain materializing across his left arm that had been closest to the fire. He hit the dirt hard and kept tumbling for another twenty feet, his only resolve to clutch Tommy to his chest harder so that no harm would come to him. With each impact upon the ground, searingly hot pain tortured George, shooting through his body with no mercy.</p>
<p>    When they finally came to a stop in the green grass, George kept his eyes screwed shut, too shocked to open them. His heart thumped wildly in his chest, and he vaguely heard the whimpering sobs of the child encased in his arms.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>***</p>
<p> </p>
<p>    “Oh no’ Dream dumbly thought as he stared after George. He was too stunned to move for a moment, horrified by the scene unfolding in front of him. This couldn't be happening, why was George running toward the house? Why was that stupid kid opening that door? Why was George being stupidly brave? All the questions flew through Dream’s head in less than a second, his eyes widening and his voice failing him. His stomach dropped to his feet, dread curling through his heart. He started out of his stupor, desperately trying to catch George, trying to do anything to protect him. Sapnap wasn’t even a second behind Dream, both friends just feet away from the paramedic.</p>
<p>    But George was fast. He knew it, Sapnap knew it, and so did whatever God was watching over them today. They were close, so close, but not close enough. Adrenaline poured through Dream as he watched the events unfold in slow motion. The kid reaching for the door. George protectively curling himself around Tommy. The massive explosion.</p>
<p>    “GEORGE!” a scream tearing through Dream’s throat.</p>
<p>    The terrible heat tore through the air, igniting a massive blast that sent George flying and the firefighters tumbling backwards. Dream and Sapnap’s gear took the brunt of the explosion but the bright flash of orange temporarily blinded Dream and plumes of black smoke finding its way into the depths of his lungs. Dream lay stunned for a moment, choking and spluttering in complete disorientation. He looked over at Sapnap who was laying a few feet from Dream. He looked a little worse for wear, but seemed okay.</p>
<p>After a moment of horrible silence, Dream rolled onto his feet. He looked around wildly, stumbling forward as he waved his trembling hands through the clouds of smoke. Shit, he needed to find George right now. He needed to make sure he was okay. What the hell was he going to do if he wasn’t okay?</p>
<p>“George!” he called, his own voice forgein to his ears. It was rough and hoarse, cracking on the syllables of George’s name. He whipped his head around when he heard a groan in response, somewhere in the distance of the yard that surrounded the house. Dream narrowed his eyes as he zoned in on a dark figure in the yard and as the smoke continued to clear, he could see that it was actually two people. Dream started forward, his unsteady walk turning into a full sprint, desperation pouring into his heart. ‘Oh God’ Dream hoped he was okay, he needed George to be okay.</p>
<p>After what seemed like an eternity, he finally arrived at George's side. Dream fell to his knees next to him, seeing George in this state was like being punched in the gut. George was just laying there, part of his uniform scorched and black. His thin arm was burned and bleeding, the horribly pink raw flesh making Dream’s stomach roll. And George, poor George, was pale and sickly, his eyes screwed shut as he whimpered. In his arms he held Tommy, snot running down his face and bawling.</p>
<p>    “George- oh no, George.” Dream cried, hand gently coming to George’s sides, rolling him onto his back. George wailed at slight movement, his whole body going tense with blinding pain. The firefighter froze, watching as George writhed, a small gasp escaping from his mouth and tears flowing out of his eyes. Dream’s heart broke into two as he watched the horrible display of agony, with nothing he could do to ease his pain.</p>
<p>    Somewhere along the way, Sapnap had come to Dream’s side without him noticing. He hesitantly reached into George’s grasp, gently pulled Tommy out from the confines of his arms. The blond child sobbed, seemingly not wanting to let go, but giving in to Sapnap’s gentle persuasion. Sapnap pulled Tommy into his chest and sat back, petting his hair and rubbing circles on his back to sooth the screaming child. He murmured a few things to the blonde, but Dream couldn’t give a shit.</p>
<p>    George let out yet another sob at the movement, whimpering as his burnt flesh was jostled. He cracked open his eyes, their usually bright and happy brown luster was now dull and cold. His eyes shifted to look up at Dream, his mouth opening as he attempted to say something, but the words were lost on his tongue as he choked out another pained cry.</p>
<p>    “It’s okay baby, I’m here.” Dream soothed, gently placing his hands on the sides of George’s face. He ran his thumb across the paramedic’s cheekbone, wiping away the tears that streamed down his face. George drew in a shuddering breath as he looked up at Dream’s loving eyes, leaning into the touch whenever he grappled with the reeling pain. So Dream painstakingly sat there, whispering little nothings to George, running his hands through his soft black hair.</p>
<p>The buzz of activity had vaguely reached the pair, firefighters and paramedics now beginning to swarm the scene. There was shouting and figures running all about, along with the thrum of water being poured out of heavy hoses. As Dream sat protectively curled over George, he registered someone’s hands on his shoulders, asking him to step away from George. What? Why would they want him to step away from George? Could’t they see that he needed him?</p>
<p>    Dream’s head snapped up to glare at the offender, an almost feral growl ripping from his throat. Eret quickly retracted his hands and staggered backwards, awkwardly looking between Dream and Niki, seeming to ask the silent question, “What am I supposed to do?”. The aggressive act had taken the two basic by surprise, it was unusual for the fire captain to act so irrationally. At having seen Eret stumble back in surprise, Dream snapped out of his aggressive haze. He looked between the basic and George, seeming to debate something in his head.</p>
<p>    “C-can I stay with him?” Dream stammered, his hands shakily unlatching from George as he gave his silent permission for Eret to touch George.</p>
<p>    “Of course.” Eret said sympathetically, gently crouching down next to George as he began his first assessments. Niki swiftly joined the effort, ripping open her emergency medical bag as she jumped into action. Dream sat patiently next to his side, softly calming down George with each cry of pain and every whimper of discomfort. He held his hand, and rubbed circles onto his palm to ground the paramedic, whispering words of encouragement and endearment.</p>
<p>    Just a few feet away lay Tommy and his parents who were fussing over their blond child. He was still wailing and babbling about how “He just wanted to find Coco”. Micheal held Tubbo in his arms, and Suzan sat on the grass holding Tommy in her lap as she rubbed his back. The parents kept glancing over to where George was lying, crying out in pain as his wounds festered. Suzan and Micheal glanced at each other, a feeling of mutual guilt passing through their gaze. They felt almost directly responsible for the horrible accident since their child had been at the center of it. They should’ve been watching Tommy, they shouldn’t have taken their eyes off him, they should’ve done better.</p>
<p>    Sapnap, who had been standing next to the family, decidedly made his way over to where George lay. His gut churned with anxiety as he looked down at his best friend who was being fussed over by EMTs, unsure of what to do next. And to be brutally honest, there was nothing he really could do. Sapnap was as useless as a sitting duck just standing there like this. Sapnap bit his lip and forcefully rubbed his temples, loathing the feeling of uselessness. He hated not being able to help his best friend. He glanced around, drinking in the surrounding people, watching as his team fought the fire but floundered around awkwardly without a captain. </p>
<p>    Sapnap crouched down next to Dream, hesitating for a second before whispering to his best friend. “Go to the hospital with George, I’ll take care of things here.”</p>
<p>    Dream looked up to Sapnap, grateful for the understanding. He hadn’t even thought about his duties, and that the house still needed overhaul among various other things. George was more important. He gave a small nod and thanks before resuming his watch over George, still holding his hand. Sapnap walked away from the nightmare, almost glad for the distraction of the fire. He took a deep breath and began to direct his team, snapping them into order and organization to combat the inferno.</p>
<p>    A stretcher had now been rolled around to the back of the house, and Niki and Eret were ready to lift George onto it. The pale paramedic watched as the stretcher came closer, fear evident in his eyes. ‘Its gonna hurt’ George thought in a sluggish panic. ‘Oh God- it’s gonna hurt so bad’ he squirmed uselessly, as if he was trying to wiggle away from the bed.</p>
<p>    “Dream” he croaked, his hands trembling. George squeezed the firefighters hand with terrible strength for his condition, eyes darting back and forth nervously. Tears began to leak out of his dark eyes again at full force, and his breathing increased rapidly as he loomed on the edge of a panic attack. Dream’s heart squeezed and his brows scrunched together in sympathy, teetering on the edge of telling everyone to back off again.</p>
<p>    “Hey look at me, it's gonna be okay.” Dream appeased, quietly hushing George. “I’ll be right here the whole time.” He grasped George’s hand in between his, pressing a small kiss to his fingers, looking deep into his eyes.</p>
<p>    George’s dark eyes settled on Dream’s kind green ones, looking to them for the strength he needed. There was a moment of silence between the two as they looked at eachother, the world stopping as if there was a pause button. Dream gave a quiet little smile, branching out as much comfort to George as possible. George gulped nervously, his foot tapping with nervous anticipation when he looked away. </p>
<p>    “Promise?” he faltered, a light blush coloring his cheeks.</p>
<p>    “I promise.” Dream swore, never letting go of his hands.</p>
<p>    A few moments later he was being lifted and secured into the stretcher. The searingly hot pain was immense, but perhaps not as bad as he had anticipated. He supposed that as long as Dream there to ease the cloudy fog of his mind, he would be okay. </p>
<p>    Just like he had promised, Dream was there every step of the way. He brushed George’s hair back from his forehead and spoke words of encouragement while holding his hand. The cool touch of his tanned skin felt like heaven to George. His emerald eyes were an oasis and sandy hair a reprieve from the pain. And when George felt as if was beginning to lose himself to the murky depths of deliria, he counted his freckles to stay grounded.</p>
<p>    But when he felt he could no longer stay awake, Dream told him it was okay. Dream rubbed circles into the back of his hand, speaking small nothings in hushed tones. He whispered stories from the past and stupid jokes, procuring little giggles from the tired paramedic. And when George faded into the fever dreams that only existed in places like this, Dream never left.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I don’t know if that was too angsty but idc because this is a hurt/comfort fic. Please leave a like and consider sharing, I would appreciate it :)</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Helloooo!! This is my first fanfiction and I tried pretty hard to establish some setting here, there will be some hurt/comfort to come next chapter so let’s see what happens, thanks :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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